Julio Lugo had a lead-off homerun to start the game and J.D. Drew added 2 homeruns and 7 rbi’s in support of Josh Beckett, as the Sox beat the Diamondbacks 10-3 on Friday night. It was a complete turnaround from the Oakland series as the bats came alive.
For Drew you have to wonder if it was facing National League pitching again or just the friendly face of his younger brother, Stephen, who is the shortstop for the Diamondbacks. Whatever it was, I hope this is the start of him breaking out of his slump. He was 3 for 5 tonight, with the two home runs. He started out the game with 17 rbi and finished the night up at 24 rbi.
Even though Lugo had just the one hit, it was the lead-off homerun, off of Doug Davis, which got the runs started for the Sox the hot Arizona night. Manny almost added a homerun of his own when he crushed a ball that went foul. He was retired via the strikeout.
Beckett cruised through the first two innings, retiring 3 of the 6 batters he faced on strikeouts.
The Red Sox struck for 3 runs in the 3rd inning when Drew hit the first of his two homeruns. Lugo led off the inning with a walk. Oddly, Davis threw a pitch behind him. I’m not sure as to why because Lugo didn’t showboat or watch the homerun. Davis then retired Dustin Pedroia and Big Papi. Manny followed the outs with a single and came around to score when Drew crushed the homerun 414 feet (wall was 413 feet away). The HR gave the Sox a 4-0 lead. It was his first homerun since April 22nd.
Arizona managed to get a run back in their half of the 3rd inning. Alberto Callaspo led off with a single and went to second on a Chris Synder single. Julio Lugo ended up tagging out Callaspo at second when he never threw the ball back to Beckett and Callaspo never called time when he got up to dust himself off. Davis sacrificed Synder to second and he came around on an Eric Byrnes single, cutting the deficit to 3 runs at 4-1.
The Red Sox got that run right back in the 4th for Beckett. After Beckett and Lugo made the first two outs of the inning, Pedroia drew a walk and went to second on a Big Papi single. Manny drove in Pedroia with a single giving the Red Sox their 4 run lead back.
Beckett was still cruising right along as he set down all nine batters he faced in the 4th, 5th, and 6th innings, 3 via the strikeout again.
The Sox gave Beckett an 8 run cushion to work with after scoring 4 runs in the 6th inning. After a Lugo groundout, Pedroia reached on an infield single. Big Papi got Pedroia to third base on a double to right. Pedroia scored on a bad throw from the right fielder Byrnes. Manny got hit by a Edgar Gonzalez fastball in the wrist. He was ok and remained in the game at the time. He was replaced by Eric Hinske in the 7th inning. Drew brought them both home with his second 3 run homer of the game, making it 9-1.
Arizona managed a run of their own in the 7th inning. Orlando Hudson led off with a double and went to third on a Conor Jackson groundout. Stephen Drew grounded into a fielder’s choice to Beckett that scored Hudson when Jason Varitek dropped the ball in a rundown with Hudson.
Drew added his 7th rbi of the game when he drove in Hinske with a double. Hinske had gotten on with 2 outs on a single. This made the score 10-2.
Beckett allowed a homerun to pinch-hitter Miguel Montero in the 8th for the final run of the game. Beckett was outstanding again as he went 8 innings, allowing 5 hits, 3 runs (2 earned) and he struck out 8 Diamondbacks on an economical 93 pitches. The win was his 9th of the season. The last Red Sox pitcher to win his first nine decisions was some guy named Roger Clemens. Jose Contreras was the last pitcher in MLB to win his first nine decisions.
Julian Tavarez looks to keep the ship floating in the right direction as he takes the hill against Micah Owings on Saturday night. Mike Timlin is set to return from the DL and a corresponding roster move has to be made.
